Sherdog.com’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10

By: Sherdog.com StaffFeb 3, 2014

Jose
Aldo’s spot in the pound-for-pound poll remains secure, but
with decision victories in four of his six UFC outings, the
featherweight champion might have a ways to go before he can match
the heyday of fellow Brazilian -- and former pound-for-pound ruler
-- Anderson
Silva.

Yes, Aldo was superb in routing Ricardo
Lamas at UFC 169, but a return of the World Extreme
Cagefighting buzzsaw who stopped seven of his eight opponents would
certainly be welcome. If the likes of Cain
Velasquez and Chris
Weidman can continue to build their resumes in the manner they
have, Aldo could be hearing footsteps in the coming months.

Another fast riser on this he list is Aldo’s Nova Uniao teammate,
Renan
Barao. “The Baron” made short work of Urijah Faber
in the UFC 169 main event, stopping the “California Kid” in a
little less than four minutes. The stoppage may have been
premature, but Barao appeared to be on the path to victory
regardless. Finding worthy challengers for the newly undisputed
bantamweight champion will be the next task.

Perhaps a little friendly competition between the two training
partners will propel both champions to new heights as the year
continues. There is nothing like a little company at the top to
bring out the best in a finely tuned professional athlete. Both
Aldo and Barao are at the top of their games; seeing who can top
whom figures to be delicious theater.

Heading into the UFC 165 main event, Jones viewed his showdown with
Alexander
Gustafsson as a chance to cement his place as the greatest
light heavyweight champion in the promotion’s history. While
“Bones” surpassed Tito Ortiz’s
record for 205-pound title defenses with a unanimous decision
triumph, he learned that the 6-foot-5 Swede measured up to the
challenge in more ways than just height. While 25 hard-fought
minutes against “The Mauler” exposed more chinks in the New York
native’s armor than his previous five title defenses combined,
Jones also displayed admirable heart in the face of adversity. An
eventual rematch with Gustafsson appears inevitable, but surging
Brazilian Glover
Teixeira will challenge the pound-for-pound king at UFC
172.

Aldo’s featherweight title defense at UFC 169 was far from
dramatic, which is a testament to his dominance as champion. The
Nova Uniao standout had his way with Ricardo
Lamas for four rounds, landing multiple punching and kicking
combinations, as well as a pair of late takedowns. A final salvo
from Lamas in round five was not nearly enough as Aldo had his hand
raised for the 17th consecutive time -- including six successful
UFC title defenses. Aldo’s next move could be interesting. While
the likes of Cub Swanson
and Chad
Mendes are eager for another crack at the Brazilian, UFC
President Dana White seems to be leaning toward making a super
fight between Aldo and lightweight king Anthony Pettis later in
2014.

Velasquez removed any doubt as to who is the best heavyweight in
the world by administering a brutal beating to Junior dos
Santos at UFC 166. The final bout of the trilogy was never
really in doubt, as the American Kickboxing Academy ace dominated
in the clinch and rarely allowed his opponent any space to unleash
his formidable boxing. Velasquez dropped his opponent in the third
round and earned the stoppage late in the fifth, where dos Santos
finally wilted after hitting his head on the canvas following a
failed guillotine attempt. Brazilian submission specialist Fabricio
Werdum was expected to receive the next shot at Velasquez, but
after undergoing shoulder surgery, the champion could be out until
late 2014.

Weidman cemented his spot atop the middleweight division with a
second consecutive triumph over Anderson Silva in the UFC 168 main
event. After nearly finishing “The Spider” in the opening frame,
the Serra-Longo Fight Team standout checked a kick that resulted in
a gruesomely fractured leg for Silva, ending the bout 1:16 into the
second round. Unbeaten in seven Octagon appearances, Weidman will
make his second title defense against the red-hot Vitor
Belfort in Las Vegas at UFC 173.

There is “Mighty Mouse,” and then there is the rest of the
flyweight division -- that much remains clear. When Johnson bested
Joseph
Benavidez at UFC 152 for the promotion’s inaugural flyweight
strap, it was a closely contested split decision in favor of
“Mighty Mouse.” In their rematch at UFC on Fox 9, Johnson removed
all doubt as to the identity of the division’s undisputed king with
a first-round knockout victory. Since he first captured 125-pound
gold in September 2012, Johnson has defended his title three times
in increasingly impressive fashion. As it stands, the AMC
Pankration representative has bested the two men directly below him
in the flyweight division: Benavidez and John Dodson.
While a rematch with Dodson could eventually come to fruition,
Johnson could also look to pursue super fights against opponents
from other weight classes.

Barao looked better than ever in dispatching Urijah Faber for a
second time in the UFC 169 headliner. The bantamweight ruler
floored “The California Kid” with a right hand two minutes into the
bout and kept the pressure on with knees and punches. Once Faber
recovered, “The Baron” dropped his foe yet again with an overhand
right and followed-up with a barrage of unanswered hammerfists to
get the victory. While the stoppage was disputed, it is hard to
fault Barao, who was nearly flawless up until that point and is now
firmly established as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best.
While Nova Uniao teammate Jose Aldo has toyed with the idea of
moving up a division, Barao appears content to reside atop the
bantamweight heap for now.

Pettis needed five rounds and the remarkable “Showtime” kick to
wrest the WEC belt from Benson Henderson in 2010, but he required
far less time to earn his second victory over “Smooth” and become
the new UFC lightweight king. In the UFC 164 headliner, Pettis
softened his opponent with a series of brutal body kicks and then
locked in a fight-ending armbar with 29 seconds left in round one.
About the only thing that went wrong for Pettis was a knee injury
he suffered while checking a kick. While the ailment was diagnosed
as a sprain, lingering issues with the knee forced the Roufusport
standout to withdraw from a UFC on Fox 9 showdown with Josh
Thomson. After undergoing surgery, Pettis is likely out until
mid-2014. A lucrative showdown with Jose Aldo could await when he
returns.

Nobody wanted to see Silva’s night end the way it did at UFC 168,
as the longtime pound-for-pound king suffered a broken left leg
when Chris Weidman checked a kick during the second round of their
headlining matchup. The Brazilian underwent emergency surgery
following the bout and is expected to make a full recovery. Prior
to undergoing the procedure, “The Spider” reportedly asked when he
could begin training again, but it is unclear if an eventual return
to the Octagon is in the cards. Silva, who turns 39 in April, was
victorious in his first 17 UFC appearances before falling to
Weidman in consecutive bouts.

In case anyone forgot, the former lightweight champion is a master
of the high-wire act. Henderson proved it once again, taking a
hotly contested -- and controversial -- split verdict over Josh
Thomson in the UFC on Fox 10 headliner. “Smooth” is now 3-0 in UFC
bouts that result in split decisions, with triumphs over Thomson,
Gilbert Melendez and Frankie
Edgar to his credit. Such efforts may not win him new fans, but
he remains a fixture near the top of the 155-pound weight class.
However, the lack of an emphatic victory over Thomson -- plus two
defeats against reigning lightweight champion Anthony Pettis --
makes for a tough road back to the top for the MMA Lab
representative.

After a narrow -- and controversial -- loss to Benson Henderson in
a lightweight title bout in April, Melendez returned to his winning
ways at UFC 166. For two rounds, “El Nino” showcased his technical
superiority over Diego
Sanchez before electing to go all-in during a wildly
entertaining third-round brawl against “The Dream.” Despite some
harrowing moments, Melendez emerged with a three-round verdict and
likely increased his fan base in the process. The Skrap Pack
representative’s only defeat in the past four-plus years came
against Henderson, meaning he should not be far removed from the
155-pound title picture.